Mobiles have not usurped landline phones, survey shows

Despite 94 per cent of Britons now owning a mobile phone, the landline still
remains an important communication tool with 63 per cent of adults using it
once a week, rising to 86 per cent for the over 55s

A survey of 2,000 people revealed that 63 per cent of adults use their home landline at least once a weekPhoto: Alamy

Landline telephones are still in wide use, despite the vast majority of Britons now owning a mobile phone.

A survey of 2,000 people revealed that 63 per cent of adults use their home landline at least once a week. This figure rises dramatically for those aged over 55, 86 per cent of whom use their home telephone on a weekly basis. One in three over-55s say that they use their phone every day.

The survey also shows that a quarter (26 per cent) of 18 to 24-year-olds use a domestic landline at least once a week.

Only seven per cent of adults never use their domestic landline and only six per cent do not have one. According to a 2013 Ofcom report, 94 per cent of British adults now own a mobile phone.

When asked what kind of calls they use landlines for, 68 per cent said they used them to call family, proving the popularity of ‘friends and family’ packages, while 48 per cent used them for important calls that needed reliable reception.

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The survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Firstsource Solutions. The company’s Iain Regan said: “The home landline still plays an important role in the lives of UK adults despite the huge growth of mobile phones and VoIP systems such as Skype.

“Communications service providers have developed attractive and user friendly packages for home phone use and also attracted customers through offering bundles incorporating the landline as part of wider TV and broadband home packages.

“There is also no doubt that domestic landline is popular because it remains one of the most reliable and secure ways to communicate.”